Programs and MCs revealed for NMS 2021 and the Choosing Wisely Australia National Meeting

Two of Australia’s most respected and experienced journalists, broadcasters and facilitators have been announced as MCs for two pre-eminent health sector events to be held as virtual conferences this May.

Jenny Brockie will MC the 2021 National Medicines Symposium (NMS) on Tuesday 18 May and Hamish Macdonald will MC the 2021 Choosing Wisely Australia National Meeting on Wednesday 19 May.

NMS 2021 has the theme Evaluating quality use of medicines: How do we know if we are making a difference? Associate Professor Melissa Baysari, a human factors researcher at the University of Sydney, experienced in both quantitative and qualitative evaluations of digital health will give one of the keynote presentations on how digital health can support quality use of medicines (QUM). Melissa has published widely in the areas of medication safety, electronic prescribing and decision support systems, and her research has had a significant impact on policy and practice.

Dr Diane Watson, Chief Executive at the Bureau of Health Information will give a keynote presentation on measuring the impact of complex change programs in healthcare. Further keynote presentations on the program for NMS 2021 will look at the future state of measuring QUM innovation and what success in QUM looks like. A plenary session and lightning talks will delve deeper into how to measure whether we are making a difference.

Public health advocate and communications strategist Tara Montgomery will provide a global perspective on the importance of trust as a factor in the success of international efforts to reduce unnecessary care in her keynote presentation at the 2021 Choosing Wisely Australia National Meeting: Empowering consumers to choose wisely. Tara spearheaded the original consumer campaign for Choosing Wisely in the United States. She now works with health organizations to bring consumer perspectives to conversations about culture change and improve their public engagement strategies.

A panel discussion and plenary session will focus on the local perspective and showcase local Choosing Wisely initiatives to reduce unnecessary care. Further plenary sessions will look at the effect of COVID-19 on health literacy as well as a look forward to future trends in healthcare and what this means for empowering consumers.

Registration is $100 for each full day online event. Registration includes exclusive access to recordings of the relevant events.

View the program and find out more about registering for NMS 2021 and the Choosing Wisely Australia National Meeting.